Rockville's Mayor and Council will hold a discussion on the possible annexation of four sites into the city at its virtual meeting this Monday, February 7, 2022 at 7:00 PM. The sites under consideration are the campus of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, the Shady Grove Metro station, and industrial sites leased by two breweries at 400 E. Gude Drive (True Respite) and 1029 E. Gude Drive (Twin Valley Distilleries).
Because the hospital and Metro station are owned by non-profit entities, the city can initiate annexation procedures for them without the consent of the landowners, Adventist HealthCare and WMATA. Because state law requires a municipality to border a property it wishes to annex, acquiring the hospital site, would require the agreement of two private property owners whose land is between the city and the hospital campus.
City staff suggests that future development on either property could bring tax revenue to the city if they are annexed. Acquiring the brewery sites would enhance the city's established branding of the RockEast District along Gude Drive as a craft beer destination.
The timeline for annexation of the properties would be nine to fourteen months from the start of the process by the Mayor and Council, assuming there is no legal action taken by any party, and the private landowners of the brewery sites and hospital adjacent sites agree to annexation in a timely fashion. If the Mayor and Council direct staff to lay the groundwork for an annexation of one or more of the properties, staff would begin outreach to the landowners. Site surveys would be performed, and then the Mayor and Council would decide whether to initiate the annexation.